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UpdateArizonaSaturday, October 31, 2026

Maricopa County asked Justice Department to screen election monitors

County Attorney Rachel Mitchell requested criminal background checks after learning a monitor had a 2016 conviction.

Reporting by
KJZZ Politics
“Maricopa County Attorney's Office asks DOJ to check election monitors' crime history”, Saturday, October 31, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office asked the U.S. Justice Department to screen all election monitors for criminal convictions before deploying them to Arizona. The request came after the office discovered that a DOJ monitor who served during this year's primary had pleaded guilty to an election-related crime in 2016. County Attorney Rachel Mitchell sent a letter Wednesday asking the department to confirm in writing it will not send monitors with felony or election-related convictions.1

DOJ spokesperson Kiersten Pels confirmed that monitor is not with the department and will not serve in the general election.1

What it means in Arizona

What this means for Arizona voters

The monitor who had the conviction will not serve in the general election.1

Key dates in Arizona

Election Day in 2 days
  1. Mon, Oct 5 · passed
    Registration deadline
  2. Wed, Oct 7 · passed
    Early voting begins
  3. Fri, Oct 23 · passed
    Last day for mail ballot applications
  4. Fri, Oct 30 · passed
    Early voting ends
  5. Tue, Nov 3 · 2 days
    Election Day; Mail ballots must arrive
  6. Thu, Nov 19 · 18 days
    County/Local certification
  7. Mon, Nov 23 · 22 days
    State certification

Every date in Arizona, and who certifies the election

More on this story
Arizona · Oct 31
Justice Department sent election monitors to Arizona polling places
Reporting by The Arizona Republic
Arizona · Oct 29
Arizona Supreme Court rules Clean Elections can't override funding certifications
Reporting by AZ FREE NEWS
The answers behind this
Who runs elections, and who can't interfereVoting in Arizona, 2026Who certifies the election in Arizona, and by when?How are votes counted and certified in Arizona?

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Sources

  1. KJZZ Politics, https://kjzz.org/elections/2026-10-30/maricopa-county-attorneys-office-asks-doj-to-check-election-monitors-crime-history · Saturday, October 31, 2026

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